286 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



SOAP SUSS FOR CABROTS. 



WiixiAM Oabmiohael, of the Dunraore Gardens, 

 Falkirk, writes to the London Florist and Pomol- 

 ffoist as follows : 



*' It is generally most difficult for a gardener to 

 obtain an abundant and healthy crop of carrots. 

 The gardens here are about ten acres in extent, and 

 till lately, eveiy endeavor to obtain an abundant 

 crop of this useful vegetable has failed — as it has 

 been invariably cut off by the grub. We have, 

 however. I atn glad to say, been perfectly success- 

 ful during last season, and have obtained a pure 

 crop — clean and beautiful. In the autumn, we 

 trenched the ground two spades deep, and left it in 

 a rough state. In the first week of April, we 

 leveled tlie ground with Dutch hoes, and drew 

 drills 15 inches apart. Before sowing the seed, we 

 applied guano at the rate of about4 cwt. to an acre. 

 The seed came up well, but just as they were fit 

 for thinning they assumed, as usual, a yellow ap- 

 pearance — owiug to the attacks of the grub. We 

 then adopted an expedient which, I am glad to say, 

 has proved highly successful. Having a large 

 quantity of soap suds beside us — as we constantly 

 employ them for the wall trees — and having taken 

 the rose from the watering pot, we applied a con- 

 siderable quantity to the rows. The result of this 

 new experiment was very gratifying, as the crop 

 assumed, shortly afterwards, a fine healthy appear- 

 ajice. The fact that we have employed guano for 

 the last several years without producing the same 

 effect, leads me to the conclusion that my success 

 was chiefly owing to this very simple and easily 

 procured remedy. Should it in future years prove 

 the successful remedy I have found it this year to 

 be, I shall be most happy to acquaint your readers 

 ■with it as the remedy, though exceedingly simple 

 and easily procured, will, I believe, prove highly 

 beneficial." 



How TO Blanch Cklebt for Exhibition. — Of 

 all exhibitions we have ever seen, Bolton, in Lan- 

 cashiere, takes the lead for the admirable manner 

 in which the vegetables are staged — everything 

 being so clean and orderly ; even the potatoes, 

 leeks and celery are as clean as new pins. What, 

 however, struck us most, was the clean white color 

 of the celery — from the root to nearly the top being 

 quite free from diseased specks and discolorations. 

 On inquiry, we find it is the practice not to earth 

 up the celery at all, but simply to tie it up as it 

 grows, and wrap coarse paper around it, occasion- 

 ally removing it to see that the stalks are growing 

 straight, or to assist them in doing so, when 

 wanted for exhibition purposes. The flavor may 

 not be quite so good, or it may not be quite so 

 crisp, as when grown in the ordinary way, but the 

 color is certainly much better for exhibition pur- 

 poses when grown in this way, and it is not inferior 

 in size. Tlie new imperial pink celery appears to 

 T18 to be the best of the pink or red kinds for show- 

 ing, as it i)rodnces very little heel, and is a large- 

 f growing, solid, crisp, fine-flavored kind. The new 

 mperial white is fully equal to it — the only differ- 

 ence being in the color. In fact, tlie former, as 

 shown at Bolton, was bleached to almost a clear 

 white. — Oossip of the Garden. 



PRESERVING FRUIT. 



From the experience of a number of yeaiji 

 putting up various kinds of fruits, we learn 

 tlie less they are cooked the more nearly the 

 ural flavor of the fruit is preserved — provided 

 heat has been raised to a suflScient degree as to 

 tirely expel the air contained in the cells of 

 fruit. Beyond this, cooking is unnecessary, 

 heating the fruit we have practised various m 

 ods : at first it was scalded in a kettle and then 

 into the jars; but of late years, particularly a 

 the different berries, our practice has been to 

 them at once into the jars, and then set them 

 the water, raising the heat to the boiling pc 

 letting them stand in the water until the cont 

 are thoroughly heated through— taking the 1 

 from one of the jars to fill Up the shrinkage 

 some is scalded in a kettle for this purpose, 

 then sealing immediately. By putting the i 

 into the jars before they are scalded, it retains 

 form much better. The most convenient v< 

 for setting the jars into for scalding, that we 1 

 tried, is a square tin pan, as large as can be i 

 veniently heated over the stove — say to hold 

 or twelve one-quart jars at a time, in two n 

 The depth of the pan should be nearly equal to 

 bight of the jars. We have learned one lessoi 

 rather costly experience: If the jars set closed' 

 upon the bottom of the pan they are very liabl 

 break, owing to the confined air in the cavitj 

 the bottom. To obviate this, a small wire is 1 

 in a zigzag form, so that some portion of the ^ 

 will come under the bottom of each jar. — Cow 

 Oentleman. 



Big Pkarb and Pumpkins. — To have big p 

 or other fruit, just work on the stalk that b 

 them the point of an adjoining shoot — then 

 shall see what you shall see. So says a French 

 ateur enthusiastically in the fruit line. If 

 want big pumpkins and squashes, just bore a li 

 gimlt hole in their rind when the frruit is a 

 weeks old, and push in a long piece of cot 

 with the loose end in a pan of water. The col 

 will suck up the water, and the pumpkin will e 

 the cotton, and by the time your fruit is ripe 

 will have the largest pumpkin that ever 

 seen. 



^ I m 



Protection from the Cut Worm. — We h 

 recently seen a mode for preventing the 

 worm from destroying young, recently set oabl 

 plants, consisting of wrapping a piece of stiff 

 per around the stem when the plant is set out 

 as to extend a little above and an inch or two 

 low the surface. We have adopted this in 

 more than twenty years — although it is now 

 ommended as new — and we can vouch for its 

 tire eflSciency. Thick writing paper appeafl' 

 answer the purpose best, and old letters may 

 torn np and employed. Stiff wrapping paper 

 even burdock leaves have answered about as ^ 

 the object being merely to place a protection at 

 the stem, where the cut worm usually assa: 

 it. — Country Oentleman. 



